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“Your father sent a boat to bring us safely out of Tabiq and to Canada. The trip took almost a month by sea. When you were asleep, I would go up on the deck. The young captain, Declan, and I spent many hours sitting there just looking up at the night sky. He said I was obsessed with the stars. I told him that I was trying to memorize in case I ever needed to find my way home again. He pointed out the planet Venus. He said it was the brightest of the five planets that could be seen at night without a telescope. He called me Venus from that point on.”
That was such a sweet touching story, but I couldn’t let her stop now. I needed to know more. “Mom, why didn’t you stay in Tabiq? Why not let your family protect you?”
“MaKayla, Tabiq wasn’t a place that protected women back then. Leaving was the only way to keep you safe. Damien said that things have changed back there. He said that he would bring you to see Tabiq if you wanted to go.”
I wanted to board a plane tonight and see what has been hidden from me. It’s all I wanted, but what was there for me? My father is deceased. My mother didn’t want to go. If it isn’t home to her, then it isn’t home to me either.
“Mom, I’m not going anywhere without you,” I said.
“MaKayla, this is what you have wanted most of your life. You should go. Damien will be with you. You’ll be okay. There is nothing to be afraid of,” she said, trying to encourage me.
I reached out for her hand. “Mom. I’m not afraid. I never have been.”
“Then why not go?” she asked.
“Because the only link to Tabiq is you. Without you there, then there is nothing there for me.”
“That’s not true,” she said. Mom turned to Damien and said, “Show her.”
Damien reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. Then he turned it to me. I smiled.
“How did you get that picture of me? I don’t remember seeing it before,” I said.
Mom said, “It’s not you.”
I looked at it closely. There was no doubt in my mind that it was me. Same eyes, same crazy curly hair. I got up and took my baby picture off the mantle and brought it over to her. “Mom, look. That picture is me.”
She shook her head. “No. That is your cousin.”
“My cousin?” I looked again.
“Yes, your uncle Steven’s daughter. He is your father’s younger brother.”
My uncle. My cousin.
“She looks just like me. Why?” No one ever looked like me.
“Because her mother is Tabiqian, just like me,” she said. “And they live in Tabiq. They want to meet you.”
My head was pounding with information overload.I have a family. A family that wants me.But as I looked at my mother, all I saw was sadness. This was breaking her heart. I knew it would.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t do any of this to hurt you,” I said.
“I know that. And I didn’t hide it from you to hurt you either. Doesn’t mean that I didn’t,” she said.
I hugged her. “No, Mom. You loved me just like Dad did. Enough to keep me safe.”
“Safe until it was time for you to go home,” she said, squeezing me tightly.
When I released her, I looked at Damien and asked, “When do you think you can arrange a meeting?”
“I can call him later tonight and set it up for a couple of days from now,” he said.
I nodded. “Okay. Let’s go meet my niece.” Turning to mom, I added, “All of us.”
“MaKayla, I already told you...”
“Mom, my family is your family. If she is my cousin, then she is your niece.”
